Old Ancestor Tai Yin

Nanshanzi followed the Gloomy Youth into the courtyard.

The first thing he saw were rows of coffins.

Red wooden coffins, greenstone coffins, black iron coffins—varying in size and shape, scattered haphazardly, at least a hundred of them.

At the rear courtyard stood a single massive black coffin, towering over two zhang high, upright in the center.

Several old men in black-and-white Daoist robes, along with dozens of middle-aged and young disciples, knelt before the Black Coffin.

Nanshanzi asked in a low voice, "What are they doing?"

The Gloomy Youth shot him a cold glance, knelt at the very back, and gestured for Nanshanzi to kneel beside him.

"The founder from generations past, Old Ancestor Tai Yin, refused reincarnation when his Lifespan ran out. He combined corpse-refining arts to create a method of extending life, merging his soul into a Silver Armored Corpse, gaining five hundred years of life!"

The youth murmured, his voice tinged with envy.

A zombie's Lifespan is tied to its rank. A Bronze Armored Corpse lasts at most two hundred years; if it doesn't advance, its yin energy depletes, and it turns to ash.

A Silver Armored Corpse lives at least five hundred years, and if it hides in a dark, gloomy place, it can stretch that by another century or two.

The Great Jing Dynasty had only stood for three hundred years since its founding. Old Ancestor Tai Yin truly deserved the title of one who watched dynasties rise and fall while remaining carefree.

Nanshanzi, however, felt a chill run down his spine. He thought the Heavenly Corpse Sect was full of lunatics—he would rather die than become a zombie.

Just then, a hoarse, gloomy voice came from inside the Black Coffin, as if the speaker's throat had withered to dry wood.

"The position of Grand Tutor of the Great Jing Dynasty must be secured. Since Pudu Cihang took the post of Imperial Preceptor, his cultivation has soared, and his Primordial Spirit is within reach. Those bald monks dare to call themselves the state religion—do they truly think our Daoist sect has no one!"

The old man kneeling at the front was Li Pan, the current sect leader of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, with the Dao name True Man Tianyin.

Li Pan reported, "Reporting to the Ancestor, ever since the emperor promised the Grand Tutor position, experts from both the Buddhist and Daoist sects across the land have come forth. Reclusive True Men from Qingcheng, Laoshan, and Maoshan have emerged. We are, after all, a younger sect, and compared to those thousand-year-old schools, we still fall short."

The Corpse Driving Sect traced its origins to a branch of Maoshan, founded only three hundred years ago.

As the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy grew thinner and cultivation became harder, the Heavenly Corpse Sect, built on corpse-refining techniques, rose to become one of the leaders of the Daoist sects. Yet, with such a short heritage, they were far behind the ancient Daoist giants in accumulated foundation.

"Don't worry. This Seat has already probed their depths. The leaders are all old relics with little Lifespan left, hoping to extend their years with Dragon Qi."

Old Ancestor Tianyin sneered, "This Seat has five hundred years of Lifespan and is still in my prime. If it comes to a fight to the death, I fear no one!"

"But to be safe, did you manage to steal the corpse of that Innate Grandmaster I asked for?"

At the Ancestor's question, all the Heavenly Corpse Sect members turned to look at Nanshanzi.

Sweat beaded on Nanshanzi's forehead as he stammered, "I stole it, I stole it. He's been dead for decades, but the corpse still looks alive."

"Hahaha!"

Old Ancestor Tai Yin's laughter was as terrifying as a Night Owl's. "Worthy of the Guo Bei Sword Saint—his flesh doesn't decay in death, comparable to a Buddhist Arhat's body!"

Sect Leader Li Pan asked doubtfully, "The Guo Bei Sword Saint was said to be only twenty years old. Was he really that formidable?"

Li Pan looked old, but he was actually just over sixty.

Constant exposure to the corrosive yin energy of corpse refining would have killed him long ago if not for the Heavenly Corpse Sect's cultivation methods.

When the Sword Saint had made his name across the land, Li Pan had just been born.

"Back when This Seat's Lifespan was still full, that man's talent was unmatched. He attained Innate at twenty, a Martial Dao Grandmaster unseen in five hundred years!"

Old Ancestor Tai Yin sighed. "What's more, upon first reaching Innate, he slew a thousand-year demon and cut off one arm of the Netherworld Ghost King. With strength like that, in a one-on-one fight, I might not have been his match."

"But he was too young, lacking in resolve. Let the demons eat people—they're just ants. And he threw away his life for that!"

The Heavenly Corpse Sect disciples listened to the Ancestor recount those old tales, their hearts stirred, wishing they could have been in his place. They all agreed with Old Ancestor Tai Yin—the Guo Bei Sword Saint's death was utterly pointless.

To the Heavenly Corpse Sect disciples, mortals were no different from the pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep they raised.

Even the lowest Walking Corpses—whether made from cattle, sheep, or humans—were no different.

The Iron Armored Corpses under the Heavenly Corpse Sect were sometimes forged from beasts, but advancing further was impossible. Humans could train body-refining techniques; beasts could not. So all Bronze and Silver Armored Corpses were made from humans who had achieved mastery in body refinement.

Li Pan couldn't help asking, "So the Guo Bei Sword Saint's body can be refined into a Silver Armored Corpse?"

"Naturally. This Seat's current corpse was stolen from a Buddhist Arhat's remains and refined."

Li Pan's face lit up with excitement. If they could get another Silver Armored Corpse, when his own Lifespan ran out, he could perform the life-extension technique and enjoy five hundred years of life.

Compared to the Arhat Silver Armored Corpse, which had been passed down for over two hundred years, Old Ancestor Tai Yin had only three hundred years of Lifespan left.

The Sword Saint's Silver Armored Corpse would be newly refined—it could live at least five hundred years!

Old Ancestor Tai Yin seemed to see through Li Pan's thoughts. "This corpse is inconvenient for This Seat to use. You can have it later. Hurry and bring the Sword Saint's corpse—This Seat will perform the Soul Transfer Great Method!"

Li Pan was stunned but powerless to argue. If he did, the Ancestor would burst from the coffin and tear him to shreds.

He cursed the old bastard in his heart for being shameless, leaving nothing for his descendants. He should have died cleanly back then.

Four Bronze Armored Corpses carried a coffin into the rear courtyard.

Zhou Yi lay inside the coffin, his perfected Turtle Breath Technique sealing all traces of his presence, even stopping his heartbeat for half an hour.

The Heavenly Corpse Sect disciples suspected nothing. Who would think a man said to have died decades ago was still alive?

Old Ancestor Tai Yin said, "Alright, withdraw! On the second day of the second month, ten days from now, join This Seat in defeating all the heroes under heaven and making the Heavenly Corpse Sect famous!"

Li Pan reluctantly led the disciples away, his mind flickering several times with the thought of rebelling while the Ancestor was performing the soul transfer, seizing the Silver Armored Corpse for himself.

However, Old Ancestor Tai Yin's accumulated authority was extremely heavy—the previous sect master had merely displeased him and died a miserable death.

The Soul Transfer Great Method could extend lifespan using zombies, but it was not without flaws.

The dense yin and baleful aura within the refined corpse would erode the soul day by day, making one increasingly irritable and bloodthirsty.

Still, compared to five hundred years of Lifespan, this was only a minor flaw.

What did killing a few dozen, a few hundred, a few thousand, or even tens of thousands of people matter? It wasn't as if he was slaughtering everyone in the world.

The crowd departed, leaving only the Black Coffin, four Bronze Armored Corpses, and the red-lacquered coffin holding the Sword Saint's body in the courtyard.

Boom!

The lid of the Black Coffin fell to the ground, shattering the Greenstone floor.

This Black Coffin had been stolen from Maoshan by the founder of the Heavenly Corpse Sect. Legend said it had once nurtured a Golden Armored Corpse King, and zombies placed inside could slow the leakage of yin energy, extending their Lifespan.

Creak, creak!

The sound of bones twisting and grinding rang out as Old Ancestor Tai Yin stiffly stepped out of the Black Coffin.

Unlike the horrifying appearance of a Bronze Armored Corpse, a Silver Armored Corpse was somewhat handsome, aside from its two protruding fangs and purple nails, clad in a set of silver armor.

This Silver Armored Corpse had been refined from a Buddhist master who had attained the Arhat Golden Body.

Hairless and beardless, standing twelve feet tall, the ground trembled with each step—clearly, its body was extremely heavy.